Chapter: 35. God?
Wow, just look at the Pope’s great attitude! Seeing the two biggest threats from the enemy kingdom walking together, not only does he not curse them to death, he even says welcome.
When two forces meet, the most important thing is to establish momentum.
Xue Feiya immediately noticed that the scepter the Pope was holding and the crown on his head were not mere decorations.
—They are magical items containing a very high reserve of magic power, capable of unleashing Tenth Stage magic.
It seems that in correspondence with the three great treasures of Aulus Kingdom, the Church State does indeed have its own profundities…
Since this old man is so well-armed, Xue Feiya couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
The six black wings slowly spread out to both sides.
The waves of magical power stirred up a rustling wind, causing the distant woods to sway and the flowers and grass on the ground to cower, as if fearing the overwhelming pressure of the magic.
Xiya always walked ahead of Xue Feiya, her eyes narrowed in vigilance as she observed the area behind the Pope, but she couldn’t see the “unknown existence” that Xue Feiya spoke of.
Seeing the other party’s clearly oppositional stance, Gustana remained calm, still sitting on the stone without moving.
With his hands resting on his legs covered by a golden church robe, his aged eyes held a wisdom that seemed to see through everything.
“My dear young friends, I come today without hostility. Firstly, with your strength, you can easily ascertain that there are no other Church State disciples in the vicinity besides myself. Secondly, I invite you both here because I have a secret matter to discuss, hoping to show my sincerity for peace talks.”
Once he finished speaking, he didn’t receive the quick response he anticipated.
After a moment, Xue Feiya’s light and melodious voice finally rang out, contrasting sharply with Gustana’s aged tone.
“Oh? But I don’t see the sincerity you mentioned, Your Holiness.”
Just as the Pope looked confused by the light-hearted remark.
The six-winged princess suddenly raised her hand and returned two fingers, as if responding to his two points of “sincerity.”
“Firstly, if there are truly no other Church disciples here besides you, does that mean the person behind you doesn’t count as part of the Church then? Secondly, you say you have ‘secret news’ to tell us, but I probably already guessed what you want to say. Since I guessed it, then it’s no longer a ‘secret’, is it?”
Upon hearing this, the Pope showed no signs of surprise.
Instead, he appreciated her, nodding in agreement.
“Ah… as expected, Princess Xue Feiya can see the ‘divine signs’. You are indeed not an ordinary person…”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Xue Feiya smiled and nodded, but showed no signs of gratitude. “However, Your Holiness, instead of praising me, shouldn’t you honor your sincerity first and tell us what you mean by ‘secret news’?”
“Um… I said you are not an ordinary person, not that you are not human… Ugh, since the princess has already guessed, why ask again?”
“I discussed with you, that’s two different matters. If you don’t speak, your so-called sincerity has no persuasive power, and I have no patience to continue this meaningless conversation.”
“What a sharp-tongued little girl… No wonder the Demon Territory is flourishing…”
Xiya, with her simple-mindedness, could only listen in on their ambiguous conversation.
It seemed she had no chance to interject!
Damn it, they are too intelligent and my reflexes are not enough.
Yet even Xiya could hear that, in this verbal skirmish, Xue Feiya clearly held the advantage.
In a dialogue where the younger party should be humble in the presence of an elder, they represented their respective nations, so there was no distinction in rank.
Xue Feiya even required the Pope to repeat what she had guessed, subtly taking on a higher position in the conversation.
In reality, it wasn’t that.
The main reason Xue Feiya wanted him to say it was because she was afraid that what she guessed might not be what the Pope intended to say.
Having said boastful words, if she guessed wrong, how embarrassing would that be?!
The Pope, however, did not think this way.
The aged man slowly rose from the stone, his expression now carrying a hint of seriousness.
“According to reports from my church’s spies, there are fanatical followers of the Church who hold extreme hatred for Aulus Kingdom, and they have set up a readily ignitable [Explosive Magic] in the waiting hall of the Gladiatorial Arena. They intend to detonate it at the right moment to create the false illusion that the magic was an accident during the contestants’ match, with the aim of assassinating important figures in the waiting hall.”
“Important figures in the waiting hall…?”
Xiya frowned in thought, soon remembering the patient figure waiting in the waiting hall.
Her Highness Princess Livra?!
You actually thought of using such a despicable assassination method?!
The powerful circulating magic directly struck the ground where the Pope stood, causing the solid boulders behind him to show cracks, yet the Pope seemed to be shielded by some protective power. Not only did he not show any signs of injury or retreat, but even his robe didn’t sway in the wind.
Xue Feiya’s agile wings lightly brushed against Xiya’s shoulder.
Following her lead, Xiya withdrew the pressure of magic.
Phew… don’t rush.
Carefully considering the Pope’s words, his statement implied that the matter had not yet been carried out.
The Pope slightly bowed at a small angle, as if apologizing for those “extremists of the Church” mentioned.
“This matter is indeed beyond my control; with such a massive nation as Corea Church State… I cannot manage the thoughts of every individual. But please rest assured, upon receiving the report, I have already arranged for the capture of these extremists and swiftly dismantled the explosive magic in the waiting hall. Her Highness the Third Princess of Aulus is very safe; this is all I can do. Heh… but it seems Princess Xue Feiya has already guessed? Truly surprising… I only just learned of it before taking action.”
Whether the Pope was truly surprised is hard to say.
Anyway, Xiya wasn’t feeling very reassured.
She even suspected that the Pope calling her and Xue Feiya over was a way to draw them out while targeting Princess Livra for an assassination.
As a member of the Light Family, the Sword of the Nation of Aulus, it was her duty to protect the royal family.
Not to mention her hard-working Princess Livra; the heavens do not forsake those who are earnest, and Xiya did not believe that she should encounter any danger on her own nation’s territory.
What Xiya worried about, Xue Feiya certainly thought of as well.
Livra’s recent activity posed a threat to the Church State, and capable individuals are prone to being targeted.
But she was already prepared~
A light and agile thought rippled into Xiya’s mind, like a frosty clear spring, extinguishing her worries.
[Rest assured, before the last match ends, I left a black feather with that foolish Livra. That feather is sealed with the highest-level protective magic, which will activate naturally when she is attacked, and I will know immediately. So far, the old man’s words have not lied.]
[Phew… I was just about to say that the Pope is quite the cunning old fox, but Xue Feiya, you’re clever like a little fox.]
[Who are you calling a fox?!]
Speaking of the Pope.
Xue Feiya did not retract her six wings in response to the Pope’s words.
Instead, she shrugged her shoulders in disdain toward the Pope’s statement.
“Who knows, I have no reason to believe your words. I do not know if the explosive magic you mentioned is a drama you directed and performed yourself, but I think… Your Holiness, you might as well be straightforward and tell us why you called us here. As I said earlier, I am not a very patient person, you know?”
“Naturally, the situation is slightly different from what I anticipated. I originally only invited Princess Xue Feiya to come, but I did not expect the Hero to arrive as well, which is fine. However, for the daughter of the Demon King and the Hero to become friends… this is truly unprecedented…”
“Stop with the useless talk; from what you mean, you want to discuss the matter of war? Taking advantage of the fact that all three nations with speaking power are present, are you attempting to have a peaceful talk about future non-aggression?”
“Not at all.”
Without war, how can there be peace?
“Xue Fei!”
Xiya urgently activated the Defense Barrier, completely enveloping Xue Feiya—because even she had seen the faint golden light behind the Pope suddenly manifest, and the concentration of magic being emitted was steadily rising!
Xue Feiya also cast a protective magic on Xiya.
But she showed no signs of tension.
Just as she had expected.
As the golden light rose, the concentration of magic stopped at a level that wasn’t overly high.
But just above the Pope, that originally shapeless light was beginning to condense into the “outline of a person.”
Just an outline.
After all… it was completely impossible to discern the specific form of a human.
All that could be seen were the floating golden garments and long hair, and from a height, it was even impossible to judge its size or appearance.
Specifically, it looked like a statue made of gold.
Only the head of that golden figure occasionally tilted to observe left and right, making the scene somewhat eerie.
The light emitted by the humanoid light mass continued to expand outward, quickly enveloping the nearby area, encompassing both the Pope and Xue Feiya Xiya, resembling a domain that closed off the surroundings.
One could no longer see trees, mountains, flowing water, the starry sky, or the sun and moon; all that was left within sight was a constantly moving space like golden meteors.
However, such a marvelous scene only elicited a sound of disapproval from Xue Feiya, arms crossed over her flat chest, as she let out a four-word evaluation.
“Just for show…”
“Xue Fei, should we break this place?”
“No need, it’s not aggressive. It seems that it needs to be like this for that thing to come out and speak, just wait.”
What happened next was even more unexpected.
The supreme Pope of the Church State—actually knelt on one knee before the ethereal figure in the sky.
His eyes filled with longing and devotion, as if he might tear up at any moment.
He tightly grasped the half-moon pendant hanging from his chest, an act that was very difficult for his aged body half-kneeling.
“Ah… after all these years… it’s my first time seeing your true form… Great Aimeres, please bring the gospel to humanity… and inscribe peace forever!”
Huh…?
You call that thing a true form?
To Xue Feiya, it looks like a golden statue!
All flashy and showy, not to mention it hasn’t said a word, now Xue Feiya really wants to pick up a stone beside her and throw it at her!
In fact—she really did.
“Xue Fei?!”
“Hi, it’s nothing. I just wanted to see if it is a real entity or an illusion; see, it’s indeed an illusion.”
The stone passed right through the golden figure without causing any ripples.
But this caused the head of the golden figure to turn toward Xue Feiya.
Though her expression was unseen, one could sense that she seemed a bit angry and puzzled.
The Pope was utterly dumbfounded.
He never expected that someone would actually throw a stone at the deity worshipped by the Church!
“Rude intruder! Quickly… quickly kneel and apologize to the divine being! This…”
“Puhaha… hahaha! Xue Feiya Hald, I did not read you wrong, you are indeed a unique existence!”
“Great Aimeres?!”
The Pope originally believed that the divine would become enraged, bringing calamity to the world.
But unexpectedly, the deity of the Church was actually laughing so happily?
Happy, huh?
Even Xiya couldn’t help but comment.
“I’m saying, Xue Fei… that figure is merely swaying left and right, is that a laugh? Or a cry?”
“Probably a cry; if hit by a stone and not crying, it’s not like Xial, that kind of perverse thing.”
“Silence.”
A clear, ethereal female voice resonated throughout the space, expressing this concept of “silence” that guides all things into tranquility.
The buzzing of insects which was present in the golden space before ceased.
The wind stopped.
Even the Pope involuntarily held his breath.
However, there was still some Xue Fei chattering nonstop.
“Oh no, I accidentally stepped on a cricket; I was wondering why it stopped chirping.”
“Ugh… Xue Fei, could you please listen to her speak? I feel that thing is really going to get angry!”
